The Liberty Flames ski and snowboard team got some serious air time at the United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association national championships this week, coming away with a pair of fourth place finishes. Junior skier Tim Steltzer highlighted the event for the Flames by winning Thursday night’s Big Air competition (an exhibition showcase). He was one of eight selections out of 160 riders for the competition.

Steltzer went on to place 12th out of 40 skiers in the men’s individual slopestyle event the next day.

The men’s snowboard team took fourth on Friday in the slopestyle team standings and Liberty’s lone female competitor, Eden Jones, was tabbed all-American and placed fourth individually out of 52 riders from 17 other schools in the women’s snowboard slopestyle on Thursday. Jones, a senior, likely could have placed in the top three with a more conservative jump on her final run, but opted to go for it all on her last attempt as a Flame.

"I just figured this was my last contest of the year so I might as well go for it," Jones said. "Once you get this far, if you don't push yourself as hard as you can you will regret it."